The government will lay the casino gambling legislation in Parliament on January 11 with the expectation that the debate on and passage of the bill would be completed at the earliest time thereafter.

Contacted for an update on the consultations and the status of the casino gambling legislation, Prime Minister Sam Hinds told the Stabroek News that the government submitted to Parliament on Thursday three signed copies for publication and distribution to the members of Parliament.

The Tourism Committee of Mexico’s federal Chamber of Deputies, the lead working group among three in Congress considering reforms to the 1947 Federal Gaming and Raffles Law – legislation that could include the reintroduction of full fledged casinos in Mexico, will not move the reforms out of committee. This according to Tourism Committee chairman Francisco López Mena (PAN, Quintana Roo), who declared the subject “dead” during what remains of this administration.

Instead deputies will focus on passage of a new Tourism Law before the current legislature leaves office, according to López.

A ban on 24-hour operations, slot certifications and the requirement for casinos to be located on hotels are the main changes introduced by the Casino Committee on Law 13034 that wants to regulate the industry.

According to the law, casinos would be allowed to open from noon on until 6 AM the next day. Congressman Carlos Herrera said the he was against closing casinos for six hours. "The ban on 24-hour operation implies that casinos will lose money because they will be closed one fourth of the day, but it was the best we could do; the former text was worse," he explained.